Joel Stephen – Mitzi Adams

Reflections on 2023

“Solely United” was a pure experiment in 2023. James A. Pierce, III, and Mark Willis came together to award me a gift that keeps on giving. A film short embracing the human spirit at its core, that I can continue to watch whenever I want. Woven among three sections of poetry, and featuring spoken word and dance — this poignant, experimental interplay between two performers, invites you into a mystical journey of darkness and light.

Our film footage was shot on February 2nd, 2023 at Triskelion Arts in Brooklyn, NY, by Joel Stephen — a longtime partner with ACD. And, with the magic of my editor, Val Gomez Acosta, we whipped together this rare experiment pulling levers, in a couple of dozen hours. The day at the theater was another one of my Jiffy-Mixes, where when all was said and done, we probably were working only 2.5 hours.

Val Gomez Acosta was one of those rare finds. My former editor from my last project, Tareek Jones, had gotten a new job, and was unavailable right when I needed to start my work editing. I lucked out finding Val — a former graduate from Yale, who responded to my inquiry. I knew right away that we’d be a match. Without the genius of the editing of Val’s technically superior work, this film never would have gotten off the ground. From our shoot date up until May, I was consumed with an impending move. It all coincided where the film was finished within a day of the moving truck arriving! Our magic together worked! Our YouTube LIVE premiere was fit into a chaotic time in my life, and yet, we pulled it off in May. It deserves much more attention than what I was able to give it, but perhaps in the near future, we can revisit another go at it, in a new state of mind, and virtually, in a new state!

Val Gomez Acosta

I owe a debt of gratitude to James and Mark for trusting me with this huge experiment. As they are both pros, they dug their heels in and brought out the best of their abilities, and gave me the most wonderful gift from 2023~

Mark Willis & James A. Pierce, III

I invite you to see their work, if you haven’t seen it yet. I’m sure they’ll move you in many ways! Cheers to 2023 being all about experimentation, finding great talent, and transitioning!

Watch Solely United Here

Winter’s Projects Emerging

In the decades long career path as a choreographer, February has always been a fertile month for creative projects. The fact that it’s my birthday month invigorates me, and some deep push from the universe seems to happen without my need to coerce it into happening. This season, a new solo set to the incomparable Nicole Renaud’s music, as well as the creation of a new film short, are on the docket. I’m excited to share with you a little sneak preview of things to come.

I was lucky, yet again, to be given the permission to use the music of the exquisitely talented singer, composer, and accordion player, Nicole Renaud. Her pure soprano voice and deep passion for reaching into my heart with her melody, made her piece, Le Bleu, the perfect match to my new solo, Fall Away. Nicole’s French flair is highlighted by her elaborate costumes, often equipped with unique lighting that illuminates her statuesque elegance. I was able to see her perform live during a Christmas show some years ago, and I’ll never forget how she captivated the audience with her unique display of artistry.

Dancer, Mark Willis , gave a mature performance of his solo the day we did our showing in Brooklyn at the Triskelion Arts Theater. He seemed to have found the core of what the music was expressing, and what I was relaying as we were creating the piece. He’s a natural mover, and has a sensibility to use his technique to the fullest extent of the movement. Fall Away is about the shedding and letting go of that which no longer serves us. With Nicole’s music and Mark’s dancing, it felt like a symbiotic telling of a familiar life theme.

Next up was our shoot for my new film short with James A. Pierce, III, and Mark, entitled, Solely United. This experiment, using spoken word, dance, and a dose of theatricality, was shot by longtime cameraman, and editor, Joel Stephen. He was quick to maneuver his way around the stage, and capture the fusion of activity that took place in just an about an hour and a half. James is not only a dancer, but such a physical actor, because of his dance background. He learned all his lines ahead of time, making my life easier, as it sped up the process of filming each scene. After a brief rehearsal with the two of them prior to our theater day, they ended up looking like they had been working together for years. They utilized improv within the framework of what I had choreographed, and had me standing back in awe of their genuine inclinations. James hit his marks and dug into the material as if the words were coming out of his body. My husband, Don, was acting line producer, and without his help, I’d be lost. The tech went well due to the artistry and talent of Anna Wotring. She rolled with all of my flying by the seat of my pants style! With all the production elements percolating on high, this Winter project went off without a hitch — down to the choice parking spot we got right in front of the theater! Stay tuned for our YouTube premieres coming soon. Now, back to the editing room!

Something Fake

Jeremy Neal, Paulo Gutierrez, Annie Heinemann, Heidi Sutherland

With many obstacles before me from last July til now, I finally was able to finish my film, “Something Fake.” Though we shot the footage last summer, my editor had moved from Connecticut to NYC, so finding the time to get together with her proved to be a challenge. In fact, the slow burn to the finish line probably got me a bit weary to create a shorter version, which I’m sure would’ve gone over better in the end than what I produced, but c’est la vie!

The symbolism of the piece unraveled in the editing sessions, where the emergence of the story occurred. The sections I choreographed were not purposely supposed to depict the Republicans and Democrats, but with the overt colors of red and blue from my film shoot, I couldn’t help but use that platform to construct ideas based upon the divisiveness of Congress; the red, hot topic of Russian collusion; and the inane ‘wall,’ depicted through the outdoor fence I found outside the theater. The flowing, red cloth in the film, seen in other works of mine, took on an entirely new meaning — Russian collusion. The staring eye through this thin red veil, reveals the evil eye of corruption.

Under my direction that day, the scenes I worked out were loosely inspired by the Helsinki Summit where President Trump ‘misspoke.’ Google it. At the time, it seemed to me that there was no other evidence needed to indict our President. Treason seemed palpable, but as the calendar pages turned, my coup de gras Helsinki Summit film theme, became lost in the shuffle of our 36-hour news cycle. More importantly, though, is the common thread of injustice in our government; and, as the bar for democracy is lowered, the level of farcical humor in our media is raised. As the children of our future will be learning about our current administration through social media, YouTube, and perhaps, artistic endeavors… keeping it all straight in the age of fake news will be their obstacle to sift through. If viewing this film can pair our day and age with a seed of truth, then I guess what I’ve done could be pivotal for future generations. And if not, art for art’s sake apparently is still in vogue!

Something Fake (Final Cut) from Mitzi Adams on Vimeo.

Thanks to my editor, Faith Marek, my videographer, Joel Stephen and the dancers: Annie Heinemann, Paulo Gutierrez, Jeremy Neal, Heidi Sutherland.

Visit our photo album from this work here!

Knee Deep in 2018

2018 has been a year of feeling knee deep in the funk of our current political climate. Just when you thought nothing could get any worse, another story would unfold, making yet another stain in the fabric of our society. Out of this chaos always comes an artful depiction from artists all over the globe. February was when I felt the urge to go to my small corner of the universe, and create a piece for dancer, Heidi Sutherland. The solo we created, It’s Easy To Drown, was created and taped in Brooklyn at Triskelion Arts, then went on to be performed at the Ailey Citigroup Theater in KoDaFe in June. Heidi soared in her performance reaching new heights with her incredible technique and talent. See more of Heidi here.

Copy of 20180629_KoDaFe_WhitneyBrowne-9717 - Edited — Heidi Sutherland

Copy of 20180629_KoDaFe_WhitneyBrowne-9736 - Edited — It’s Easy to Drown

Putting one foot in front of the other, I imagined how I might allow for a catharsis of the angst I was feeling about the Trump Administration. The collective sludge that started a mud slide of turmoil was gradually pushing me toward making a short film. My ideas came together in an array of scenes crafted for four dancers on a oven-hot day in July, back again at Triskelion Arts. Lights, camera, action and with no time to polish, the footage we got that day went in the can, as the guts to my new film entitled, “Something Fake.” With fits and starts to schedules and then my editor moving, the process of editing was as slow as molasses. Being a Jiffy Mix choreographer, it took all the patience I could muster to work on this project only here and there; however, I’m happy to announce that the premiere will be very soon!

P1090602.MOV.05_56_09_03.Still002 — Jeremy Neal

P1090595.MOV.05_37_32_14.Still002 — Jeremy Neal, Heidi Sutherland, Paulo Gutierrez, Annie Heinemann

My catharsis continued into late summer when I created a site specific work at the Halibut State Park in Rockport, MA. This time, my dancer-self came out to play, as serendipity met nature in three hours of improvisation, in the most beautiful place in New England. Footage from this day is on the back-burner, but the cooling effect of finding my peace is seen in these stills.

20180902_152850_Film1 (1) — Soaking in the beauty

Fall went a little weirder and far from nature as I went into the studio again, making a piece that should’ve been premiered on Halloween, but ended up making its debut in November — again back in Brooklyn at Triskelion Arts. That theater has my footprints all over it, and I’m grateful for the tab not being too steep. Somewhere amidst the #MeToo Movement and the tumult of our times, came a dance trilogy hinting at a darker shade of pale. Coaching the dancers to find their own meaning within the work paid off, as each of them told their own inner story. In fact, I titled the piece, “Short Story.” It begins with a duet, goes into a solo, then ends with a trio– all of which were performed with fierce commitment to the movement. They sweat through several rehearsals before knowing what it all meant, but in the long-run, it’s up for interpretation — the ending, however, leaves no doubt about man’s evil spirit.

So, as the political scene continues to shred all sense of balance, and 2018 comes to a close, I find my strength in dance and the dancers that makes it all happen. It’s in their fluidity, their power, and their artistry that allows me to go knee deep into the magic of dance — and at least for the moment, helps me to rise above it all!

Post Archival Rehearsal Shot With Videographer, Joel Stephen

Wade Watson, Evita Zacharioglou, Heidi Sutherland

Short Story from Mitzi Adams on Vimeo.

Summer Film Project: “MAGA in D Flat”

My featured image is of my post-production mess from our film project on July 20th in Greenpoint, Brooklyn at Triskelion Arts — a three hour project to channel my pent-up emotions regarding the Trump administration. In my Jiffy-Mix style, we whipped up a menu of choreography, images, acting, and site specific Godspell-ish meanderings. Satirically driven, the footage we shot will be made into a film short that at the very least, will let out a little steam that’s been building within. It won’t be Michael Moore in its breadth and scope, but will hint at the very things he and everyone else has been vocalizing about regarding the inane events of our day. We’re in a freefall, so while falling, I thought I’d take an afternoon to catch up with my artist-side. Four dancers came together, along with Joel Stephen, our camerman/filmmaker, and Don Adams, our line producer, to make a hot day a littler cooler! More on this project soon!

My messy notes

Dancers: Annie Heinemann, Paulo Gutierrez, Jeremy Neal, Heidi Sutherland